been held, the following letter
was sent to Sir Arthur Wardour, of Knockwinnock Castle:

"Dear Sir Arthur,--On Tuesday, the 17th inst, I hold a symposium at
Monkbarns, and pray you to assist thereat, at four o'clock precisely. If
my fair enemy, Miss Isabel, can and will honour us by accompanying you,
my womankind will be but too proud. I have a young acquaintance to make
known to you, who is touched with some stain of a better spirit than
belong to these giddy-paced times, reveres his elders, and has a pretty
notion of the classics. And as such a youth must have a natural contempt
for the people about Fairport, I wish to show him some rational as well
as worshipful society. I am, dear Sir Arthur, etc., etc."

In reply to this, at her father's request, Miss Wardour intimated, "her
own and Sir Arthur's compliments, and that they would have the honour of
waiting upon Mr. Oldbuck. Miss Wardour takes this opportunity to renew
her hostility with Mr. Oldbuck, on account of his long absence from
Knockwinnock, where his visits give so much pleasure."

_II.--The Treacherous Sands_

Sir Arthur and his daughter had set out, on leaving Monkbarns, to return
to Knockwinnock by the turnpike road; but when they discerned Lovel a
little before them Miss Wardour immediately proposed to her father that
they should take another direction, and walk home by the sands.

Sir Arthur acquiesced willingly, and the two left the high road, and
soon attained the side of the ocean. The tide was by no means so far out
as they had computed; but this gave them no alarm; there was seldom ten
days in the year when it approached so near the cliffs as not to leave a
dry passage.

As they advanced together in silence a sudden change of weather made
Miss Wardour draw close to her father. As the sun sank the wind rose,
and the mass of waters began to lift itself in larger ridges, and sink
in deeper furrows. Presently, through the drizzling rain, they saw a
figure coming towards them, whom Sir Arthur recognised as the old
blue-gowned beggar, Edie Ochiltree.

"Turn back! Turn back!" exclaimed the vagrant. "The tide is running on
Halket-head, like the Fall of Fyers! We will maybe get back by Ness
Point yet. The Lord help us--it's our only chance! We can but try."

The waves had now encroached so much upon the beach, that the firm and
smooth footing which they had hitherto had on the sand must be exchanged
for a rougher path close to the foot of the pr